Caption describing picture

or graphic.

The Ocean of Soul performs for the

Texas Governors Inaugural Parade

Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul Drum majors with the

Texas A&M University Drum majors at the Governors Inaugural Parade

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5

TSUNAA Ocean Alumni Chapter Volume 1, Issue 5

Ocean Beat The Official Publication of the Texas Southern University

National Alumni Association Ocean of Soul Chapter

Letter from the President

draft

As we celebrate into Black History Month, we must remember that we should never forget our past and strive to preserve our past.

After a successful Installation Cere-mony and first meeting, we are excited

with anticipation that we are going to have a successful year. Alumni mem-bers were full of ideas and are ready to

get to work making our Alumni Asso-ciation a model for others to follow.

For those of you who missed our initial meeting, we look forward to meeting and working with you in the future.

T S U N A A O C E A N A L U M N I C H A P T E R V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 5

Texas Southern University

Alumni Association

Ocean of Soul Chapter

Chapter Officers

Garnet Foster

President

Joselyn Coats

V. P. of Membership

Nita Dupaty Williams

V. P. of Finance

Kevin Jernigan

Treasurer

Pamela Scott

Recording Secretary

Cynthia Gardner

Corresponding Secretary

Leonard Faniuel

Sergeant At Arms

Donald Greer

Parliamentarian

Khary Boykins

Financial Secretary

Donald Black

Communications

Ocean of Soul

Alumni Association

P.O. Box 88155

Houston, Texas 77288

oceanalumni@gmail.com

Texas Southern University National Alumni Association President Julia Askew

performing the installation ceremony for the 2015 Ocean of Soul Alumni

Association Officers

OOSAA 2015 Chapter Officers

Installation Ceremony

Caption describing picture or

graphic.

T S U N A A O C E A N A L U M N I C H A P T E R V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 5

TSUs New 800-Bed Freshman Student Housing Becomes Reality

T S U N A A O C E A N A L U M N I C H A P T E R V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 5

Construction is well underway on the $41.5 million, 215,000-square-foot New Student Resident Housing Com-

plex. Houston-based architectural firm Harrison Kornberg in collaboration with Lord, Aeck, Sargent were awarded the contract to design the seven-story building that will include social and study areas on all residential floors.

Other amenities include: a dining hall, locker storage, a laundry on all residential floors, a convenience store, roof terrace and a gaming area. The rooms are double occupancy with a shared restroom. Pepper-Lawson Construc-

tion/ Horizon International Group started the project on February 28, 2014 and is expected to complete con-struction in August 2015. The 800-bed facility will allow Texas Southern to house nearly all of its incoming fresh-men on campus.

Currently, the university has six student housing complexes: Urban Academic Village, Lanier East, Lanier West, University Courtyard, Tierwester I and Tierwester II. There are 1,300 students living in campus housing. Reprinted from D-Mars Magazine

T S U N A A O C E A N A L U M N I C H A P T E R V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 5

Ocean of Soul Schedule

February 2015

Monday,

February 8

Black History Program H&PE Arena

5:30 PM7:30 PM

Tuesday

February 10

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Parade

Downtown Houston 9AM

Saturday,

February 14

Black History Performance

Terrell, Texas 10AM

Tuesday

February 20

Black History Month Parade

Forney, Texas 10 AM

Thursday

February 22

Black History Month Community Parade

Houston, Texas 4PM

If you want to submit

information to the Ocean of Soul Alumni Newsletter, please email information to: Oceanalumni@gmail.com

or mail to:

Ocean of Soul Alumni Association P.O. Box 88155

Houston , Texas 77288

T S U N A A O C E A N A L U M N I C H A P T E R V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 5

OCEAN FLASHBACK

Mr. Ronald B. Thornton served as an assistant director of the Forest Brook Senior High School Marching Jaguar Band and the Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul Marching Band. Mr. Thornton would later became the Head Band Director of the Mighty Willowridge Eagle Band from 1988 -2009.

Mr. Thornton was a member of numerous organizations, some of which include: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi Band Fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Music Fraternity, Pershing Rifles Military Fraternity, Phi Beta Mu International Bandmas-ters Fraternity, Tau Beta Sigma Band Sorority Honorary Member, Professional Mu-sician Local 65, Texas Black Music Educators - Vice President, Texas Bandmasters Association, National Association of College Band Directors, Texas Music Educators Association, International Association of Jazz Educators, Texas Exes & The College of Education-The University of Texas.

In his memory, the Texas Southern University National Alumni Association Ocean of Soul Chapter established the Ronald B. Thornton Scholarship Foundation. The recipients shall be university band students who have exemplified outstanding leadership as band members as well as in the classroom.

Please Support the Ronald B. Thornton Scholarship Fund

Support The Ronald B. Thornton Scholarship

The Ocean of Soul performing in the Houston Astrodome

P A G E 6

Ocean Alumni

Mervin Campbell,

Curtis Watson and

Emmanuel Steib

were part of the

original members of

The Soul Rebels

Lumar LeBlanc

Co Founder

Soul Rebels

Ocean Alumnus 1990

Funk Train 1985 1987

Bass Drum

Alumni Spotlight

The Soul Rebels started with an idea shared between founding members Derrick Moss and Lumar LeBlanc to play the music they loved on the radio in the New Orleans Brass Band tradition that they grew up on. Together with a group of young, like-minded play-ers from all over New Orleans, they formed the Soul Rebels and set out to make their mark on the music they love.

The band came to be when LeBlanc and Moss met as per-cussionists in New Or-leans iconic Dejeans Young Olympia Brass Band. The two were steeped in the fundamen-tals of New Orleans jazz, but inevitably, contemporary styles of music began to catch their attention. We wanted to

make our own sound without disrespecting the brass tradi-tion, LeBlanc recalls, so we knew we had to break away. They found a new direction when they spun off and formed their own band and set out to make the music they wanted to make.

Graduates of university music programs throughout the South, the group took the marching band format they had learned in school and in-corporated influences from outside the city as well as R&B, funk and hip-hop espe-cially through half-sung, half rapped lyrics On their travels, the Soul Rebels shared the stage with notable artists from

many corners of the music world, including Metallica, Green Day, Maceo Parker, Galactic, Karl Denson, Slick Rick, Suzanne Vega and David A. Stewart of the Eurythmics, as well as billings with Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Arcade Fire, Alabama Shakes, Estelle, Seal, Cee Lo Green, and Dr. John among others. The Soul Rebels have been a mainstay at festivals all over the world. From the Bonnaroo main stage and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, to Electric Forest and the Antibes Jazz Festival, to recent festival ap-pearances at the Perth Interna-tional Jazz Festival in Australia and the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta.

The Soul Rebels Front Row: Julian Gosin, Derrick Moss, Marcus Hubbard. Back Row: Lumar LeBlanc, Erion Williams, Edward Lee, Jr., Paul Robertson, Corey Peyton

T S U N A A O C E A N A L U M N I C H A P T E R V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 4

T S U N A A O C E A N A L U M N I C H A P T E R V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 5

Experience Tiger Basketball

Listen to all TSU Basketball games live on KTSU-FM 90.9

Monday

February 2

Alabama A & M

H&PE Arena 7:30

Saturday

February 7

Prairie View A & M

H&PE Arena 7:30 PM

Saturday

February 21

Mississippi Valley State

H&PE Arena 7:30 PM

Monday

February 23

Alabama A & M

H&PE Arena 7:30 PM

Tuesday

Saturday

March 10-14

SWAC Tournament

Toyota Center, Houston TBA

Ocean Alumni Association assists at

the Honda Battle of the Bands Recruiting Fair

T S U N A A O C E A N A L U M N I C H A P T E R V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 5

Members of the Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul Alumni Association traveled to Atlanta Geor-

gia to participate in the Honda Battle of The Bands College Expo.

The recruiting team fielded inquiries from 175 applicants that expressed interest in the Texas Southern

University.

Special thanks to Khary Boykin, Jacqueline Brock, Joselyn Coats, Aaron Georgetown, Booker Linkhorn,

Juan Morrison, Paul Mitchell, who helped make this recruiting opportunity a success.

UPCOMING EVENTS

T S U N A A O C E A N A L U M N I C H A P T E R V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 5

Texas Southern University National Alumni Association

Ocean of Soul Chapter

The purpose of The Ocean of Soul Alumni Association is to uplift and preserve the strong

traditions and legacy of the historic Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul Marching

Band. We will do this through financial and physical support, social and political net-

working among alumni, undergraduate and friends of the Ocean and assisting potential

and current students involved in the university band program

If you want to submit

information to the Ocean of Soul Alumni Newsletter, please email information to:

Oceanalumni@gmail.com

or mail to:

Ocean of Soul Alumni Association

P.O. Box 88155

Houston , Texas 77288